The present invention is directed to a process for preparing compounds of the formula I. 
The compounds of formula I are novel intermediates for the preparation of epothilone analogs which are useful in the treatment of a variety of cancers and other abnormal proliferative diseases. Compounds of the formula I may be used to prepare, for example, analogs of the formula II which are anticancer agents. As used in the formulas I, II, and throughout the specification, the symbols have the following meanings:
X is NR7R8, N3, N(COR11) COR12 and NR9SO2R10 
Q is selected from the group consisting of 
R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R13, R14, and R15 are selected from the group H, alkyl, substituted alkyl, or aryl and when R1 and R2 are alkyl can be joined to form a cycloalkyl;
R8 is H, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, o-alkyl or o-substituted alkyl; R6, R7, and R9 are selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclo
R10, R11 and R12 are alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl or substituted aryl and R11/R12 can join together to form a nitrogen containing ring e.g. phthalimido.
Listed below are definitions of various terms used to describe this invention. These definitions apply to the terms as they are used throughout this specification, unless otherwise limited in specific instances, either individually or as part of a larger group.
The term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d refers to straight or branched chain unsubstituted hydrocarbon groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 7 carbon atoms. The expression xe2x80x9clower alkylxe2x80x9d refers to unsubstituted alkyl groups of 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
The term xe2x80x9csubstituted alkylxe2x80x9d refers to an alkyl group substituted by, for example, one to four substituents, such as, halo, trifluoromethyl, trifluoromethoxy, hydroxy, alkoxy, cycloalkyoxy, heterocylooxy, oxo, alkanoyl, aryloxy, alkanoyloxy, amino, alkylamino, arylamino, aralkylamino, cycloalkylamino, heterocycloamino, disubstituted amines in which the 2 amino substituents are selected from alkyl, aryl or aralkyl, alkanoylamino, aroylamino, aralkanoylamino, substituted alkanoylamino, substituted arylamino, substituted aralkanoylamino, thiol, alkylthio, arylthio, aralkylthio, cycloalkylthio, heterocyclothio, alkylthiono, arylthiono, aralkylthiono, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, aralkylsulfonyl, sulfonamido (e.g. SO2NH2), substituted sulfonamido, nitro, cyano, carboxy, carbamyl (e.g. CONH2), substituted carbamyl (e.g. CONH alkyl, CONH aryl, CONH aralkyl or cases where there are two substituents on the nitrogen selected from alkyl, aryl or aralkyl), alkoxycarbonyl, aryl, substituted aryl, guanidino and heterocyclos, such as, indolyl, imidazolyl, furyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, pyrrolidyl, pyridyl, pyrimidyl. Where noted above where the substituent is further substituted it will be with halogen, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl or aralkyl.
The term xe2x80x9chalogenxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chaloxe2x80x9d refers to fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine.
The term xe2x80x9carylxe2x80x9d refers to monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbon groups having 6 to 12 carbon atoms in the ring portion, such as phenyl, naphthyl, biphenyl and diphenyl groups, each of which may be substituted.
The term xe2x80x9caralkylxe2x80x9d refers to an aryl group bonded directly through an alkyl group, such as benzyl.
The term xe2x80x9csubstituted arylxe2x80x9d refers to an aryl group substituted by, for example, one to four substituents such as alkyl; substituted alkyl, halo, trifluoromethoxy, trifluoromethyl, hydroxy, alkoxy, cycloalkyloxy, heterocyclooxy, alkanoyl, alkanoyloxy, amino, alkylamino, aralkylamino, cycloalkylamino, heterocycloamino, dialkylamino, alkanoylamino, thiol, alkylthio, cycloalkylthio, heterocyclothio, ureido, nitro, cyano, carboxy, carboxyalkyl, carbamyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylthiono, arylthiono, alkysulfonyl, sulfonamido, aryloxy. The substituent may be further substituted by halo, hydroxy, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, substituted aryl, substituted alkyl or aralkyl.
The term xe2x80x9ccycloalkylxe2x80x9d refers to an optionally substituted, saturated cyclic hydrocarbon ring system, preferably containing 1 to 3 rings and 3 to 7 carbons per ring which may be further fused with an unsaturated C3-C7 carbocyclic ring. Exemplary groups include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, cyclodecyl, cyclododecyl, and adamantyl. Exemplary substituents include one or more alkyl groups as described above, or one or more groups described above as alkyl substituents.
The terms xe2x80x9cheterocyclexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cheterocyclicxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cheterocycloxe2x80x9d refer to an optionally substituted, fully saturated or unsaturated, aromatic or nonaromatic cyclic group, for example, which is a 4 to 7 membered monocyclic, 7 to 11 membered bicyclic, or 10 to 15 membered tricyclic ring system, which has at least one heteroatom in at least one carbon atom-containing ring. Each ring of the heterocyclic group containing a heteroatom may have 1, 2 or 3 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen atoms, oxygen atoms and sulfur atoms, where the nitrogen and sulfur heteroatoms may also optionally be oxidized and the nitrogen heteroatoms may also optionally be quaternized. The heterocyclic group may be attached at any heteroatom or carbon atom.
Exemplary monocyclic heterocyclic groups include pyrrolidinyl, pyrrolyl, indolyl, pyrazolyl, oxetanyl, pyrazolinyl, imidazolyl, imidazolinyl, imidazolidinyl, oxazolyl, oxazolidinyl, isoxazolinyl, isoxazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thiazolidinyl, isothiazolyl, isothiazolidinyl, furyl, tetrahydrofuryl, thienyl, oxadiazolyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, 2-oxopiperazinyl, 2-oxopiperidinyl, 2-oxopyrrolidinyl, 2-oxazepinyl, azepinyl, 4-piperidonyl, pyridyl, N-oxo-pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyridazinyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydrothiopyranyl, tetrahydrothiopyranyl sulfone, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl sulfoxide, thiomorpholinyl sulfone, 1,3-dioxolane and tetrahydro-1, 1-dioxothienyl, dioxanyl, isothiazolidinyl, thietanyl, thiiranyl, triazinyl, and triazolyl.
Exemplary bicyclic heterocyclic groups include benzothiazolyl, benzoxazolyl, benzothienyl, quinuclidinyl, quinolinyl, quinolinyl-N-oxide, tetrahydroisoquinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzimidazolyl, benzopyranyl, indolizinyl, benzofuryl, chromonyl, coumarinyl, cinnolinyl, quinoxalinyl, indazolyl, pyrrolopyridyl, furopyridinyl (such as furo[2,3-c]pyridinyl, furo[3,1-b]pyridinyl] or furo[2,3-b]pyridinyl), dihydroisoindolyl, dihydroquinazolinyl (such as 3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-quinazolinyl), benzisothiazolyl, benzisoxazolyl, benzodiazinyl, benzofurazanyl, benzothiopyranyl, benzotriazolyl, benzpyrazolyl, dihydrobenzofliryl, dihydrobenzothienyl, dihydrobenzothiopyranyl, dihydrobenzothiopyranyl sulfone, dihydrobenzopyranyl, indolinyl, isochromanyl, isoindolinyl, naphthyridinyl, phthalazinyl, piperonyl, purinyl, pyridopyridyl, quinazolinyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl, thienofuryl, thienopyridyl, thienothienyl.
Exemplary substituents include one or more alkyl groups as described above or one or more groups described above as alkyl substituents. Also included are smaller heterocyclos, such as, epoxides and aziridines.
The term xe2x80x9cheteroatomsxe2x80x9d shall include oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen.
Use and Utility
The compounds of formula II are microtubule-stabilizing agents. They are thus useful in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including (but not limited to) the following;
carcinoma, including that of the bladder, breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, ovary, pancreas, stomach, cervix, thyroid and skin; including squamous cell carcinoma;
hematopoietic tumors of lymphoid lineage, including leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, hairy cell lymphoma and Burketts lymphoma;
hematopoietic tumors of myeloid lineage, including acute and chronic myelogenous leukemias and promyelocytic leukemia;
tumors of mesenchymal origin, including fibrosarcoma and rhabdomyoscarcoma;
other tumors, including melanoma, seminoma, tetratocarcinoma, neuroblastoma and glioma;
tumors of the central and peripheral nervous system, including astrocytoma, neuroblastoma, glioma, and schwannomas;
tumors of mesenchymal origin, including fibrosarcoma, rhabdomyoscaroma, and osteosarcoma; and
other tumors, including melanoma, xenoderma pigmentosum, keratoactanthoma, seminoma, thyroid follicular cancer and teratocarcinoma.
Compounds of formula II may also inhibit tumor angiogenesis, hereby affecting the growth of tumors. Such anti-angiogenesis roperties of the compounds of formula II may also be useful in the treatment of certain forms of blindness related to retinal vascularization, arthritis, especially inflammatory arthritis, multiple sclerosis, restinosis and psoriasis.
Compounds of formula II may induce or inhibit apoptosis, a physiological cell death process critical for normal development and homeostasis. Alterations of apoptotic pathways contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases. Compounds of formula II, as modulators of apoptosis, will be useful in the treatment of a variety of human diseases with aberrations in apoptosis including cancer (particularly, but not limited to follicular lymphomas, carcinomas with p53 mutations, hormone dependent tumors of the breast, prostrate and ovary, and precancerous lesions such as familial adenomatous polyposis), viral infections (including but not limited to herpesvirus, poxvirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Sindbis virus and adenovirus), autoimmune diseases (including but not limited to systemic lupus erythematosus, immune mediated glomerulonephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel diseases and autoimmune diabetes mellitus), neurodegenerative disorders (including but not limited to Alzheimer""s disease, AIDS-related dementia, Parkinson""s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, retinitis pigmentosa, spinal muscular atrophy and cerebellar degeneration), AIDS, myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anemia, ischemic injury associated myocardial infarctions, stroke and reperfusion injury, arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, toxin-induced or alcohol induced liver diseases, hematological diseases (including but not limited to chronic anemia and aplastic anemia), degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system (including but not limited to osteoporosis and arthritis), aspirin-sensitive rhinosinusitis, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, kidney diseases, and cancer pain.
The novel compounds of formula I may exist as multiple optical geometric and stereoisomers. Included within the present invention are all such isomers and mixtures thereof in the racemic form.
The compounds of the present invention are novel intermediates to produce the compounds of formula II which are anticancer agents. Also novel is the process to produce the compounds of formula I.
Method of Preparation
Compounds of formula I are prepared as shown in Scheme 1. A compound of formula III can be treated with a palladium catalyst, such as palladium tetrakistriphenylphosphine, and a xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d nucleophile to provide a compound of formula I where X is NR7R8, N3, N(COR11) COR12 and NR9 or NR9 SO2R10, (see for example: J. Tsuji, Palladium Reagents and Catalysts: Innovations in Organic Svnthesis, New York: Wiley and Sons, 1995).
Compounds of formula III are known compounds, see, for example, HOFLE et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1996, 35, No. 13/14; WO 93/10121 published May 27, 1993; WO 97/19086 published May 29, 1997; Nicolaou et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1997, 36, 2097 and Danishefsky et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1997, 36, 2093. 
For example, a compound of formula I where X is N3 (i.e., compound Ia) can be prepared from a compound of formula III by treatment with palladium tetrakistriphenylphosphine and azide donor, such as, a metal azide (eg. lithium or sodium azide) as shown in Scheme 2. 
A compound of formula II can be prepared from a compound of formula Ia as shown in Scheme 3. A compound of formula Tb can be prepared from a compound of formula Ia by reduction with reducing agents such as triphenylphosphine or hydrogen and platinum oxide. A compound of formula II can be prepared from a compound of formula Ib by macrolactamization using a suitable coupling agent such as diphenylphosphoryl azide (for other macrolactamization agents, see: J. M. Humphrey and A. R. Chamberlin, Chem. Rev., 97,2243-2266 (1997)). 
A compound of formula I where X is NR7R8 (i.e., compound Ic) can be prepared from a compound of formula III by treatment with palladium tetrakistriphenylphosphine and a primary or secondary amine as shown in Scheme 4. 
A compound of formula I where X is NR9SO2R10 or N(COR11)COR12 (i.e., compound Id and Ie) can be prepared from a compound of formula III by treatment with palladium tetrakistriphenylphosphine and a salt of the corresponding sulfonamide (i.e., HNR9SO2R10) or imide (or N(COR11)COR12) as shown in Scheme 5. 